The Daily Tar Heel

Opinion

Not all about bra-burning: Feminism a broad movement about eliminating barriers

By Meredith Engelen | Apr. 22, 2010

When Phyllis Schlafly spoke on campus last Monday, I expected an interesting and relevant critique of modern feminism. As a proud Republican myself, I was interested in the point of view of a fellow female conservative.I should have known better. Instead, I was disappointed that yet another member of my political party just doesn’t get it.

Opinion

Title IX limits variety

By Meredith Engelen | Jan. 28, 2010

The introduction of gender equality legislation in 1972 changed the landscape of collegiate sports. Title IX was a groundbreaking attempt to ensure that women would have the same opportunities as men, academically and athletically. Its success was paramount to the advancement of women’s rights in the United States.

Opinion

Download this: e-books often cheaper alternative to print editions

By Meredith Engelen | Jan. 21, 2010

Textbook prices are out of control.In the 2006-07 academic year, students paid an average of about $700 for textbooks. That’s more than triple the proposed tuition increase for the 2010-11 school year for in-state students at UNC.Textbook prices have skyrocketed over the past two decades at double the rate of inflation.

Opinion

Viewpoint on SafeWalk: Safety should be addressed

By Meredith Engelen | Jan. 20, 2010

The issue: A student government program provides night owls with a pair of trained “SafeWalkers” to escort them home upon request. The program was designed to improve campus safety by keeping students from walking alone at night. Is this new initiative really needed?

Opinion

Unpaid internships do more harm than good

By Meredith Engelen | Nov. 29, 2009

I’ve had a bone to pick with businesses that offer unpaid and not-for-credit internships for some time now. So you can imagine my dismay upon reading a recent New York Times article preaching the value of such positions and how companies pressed for cash are increasingly relying on interns to do work for free.

Opinion

Bring on the debate

By Meredith Engelen | Oct. 6, 2009

Since 1795, students of the University of North Carolina have aggressively used First Amendment rights and frequently petitioned our school for redress of grievances. And our unique public university perspective on state action and prior restraint has often encouraged debate on what exactly qualifies as the abridgement of speech on our campus.The ongoing Youth for Western Civilization debacle has shed more light on the subject. We’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly as this issue has run its course.